The opportunity for my
internship came about as a result of my passion and interest in Korean
contemporary art. My COFA research
project focussed on the story and evolution of Korean art and the opportunity
for greater engagement with Australian audiences. I was fortunate to be introduced to Alexie Glass-Kantor,
Director, Gertrude Contemporary, an amazing and widely respected institution
located in Fitzroy.
Alexie was one of the
first graduates of COFA’s Art Admin program and was awarded a residency to
Korea in the ‘90s. Alexie quickly
developed a love and fascination for Korea, forging strong and lasting
friendships there. At the time Alexie and
I met, Gertrude Contemporary was exploring opportunities to co-host a
collaborative exhibition with a Korean institution. Alexie was incredibly generous and invited be to join the
curatorium and work with the Gertrude team in developing and realising the
exhibition.
Federal funding was
being made available as part of the Australian Korean Year of Friendship,
celebrating 50 years of diplomatic ties between our two countries (1961-2011). Several galleries around the country
were able to take advantage of this special opportunity including the MCA,
which hosted the widely reviewed exhibition Tell
Me Tell Me: Australian and Korean Art 1976-2011.
It was Gertrude’s
objective to develop an exhibition in collaboration with a Korean gallery that
would feature both Australian and Korean artists and respond to a shared
curatorial vision – one that was relevant to both Australian and Korean
audiences. The exhibition would be
jointly hosted, first in Korea and then at Gertrude Contemporary in Melbourne.
The internship exposed
me to many fascinating aspects of developing and curating a cross-cultural
exhibition. I’ll endeavour to
capture some of these experiences in this blog and share with you some of the
things I have learnt as a result of my experience including:
· Building a partnership with between two
galleries
· Developing a shared curatorial vision across
barriers of geography, language and culture
· Establishing and managing the expectations of
curators, artists and funding bodies
· Sourcing funding support and sponsorship
· Logistics and project management
· Managing conflict
